The educational achievement gap between children growing up in poverty and those in more affluent homes is staggering, and it starts early. Seventy-five percent of children from families with moderate to high incomes are prepared to enter kindergarten, compared to just 48 percent of children living in poverty. Put another way, more than 7 million kids in the U.S. are growing up in poverty and are already behind by the time they’re five.

Programs to build parent engagement during the preschool years can start to close this gap. And while they’re especially crucial for lower-income families, their benefits apply universally.